Kathmandu, May 12

Sexual minorities’ on Saturday demanded with the government that it must be responsible in ensuring their fundamental rights irrespective of the fact that they belonged to a different sex.

Speaking at a one day workshop organized by Blue Diamond Society, persons belonging to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) said that that they were unable to learn, work and engage themselves in other activities due to lack of citizenship certificates.

"So far only three third gender persons have been provided with citizenship certificates," director of the society Sunil Babu Panta said.

LGBTI persons have not been enlisted in the voter list for not having citizenship certificates, he said and added that not a single openly declared LGBTI employed at a government job.

"Many third genders have been deprived of enjoying their fundamental rights owing to lack of citizenship certificates," he added.

Panta informed that the despite the order of the Supreme Court to enact laws to provide equal rights to the third genders by amending the discriminatory laws, the laws were yet to be implemented.

He pointed the need to enlist third gender as others in all sectors of the country.

Reffering to a study on the gender based discrimination in the nation, Chairperson of Federation Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) Shiva Gaunle said that about 92.5 per cent of males were quoted in different news itesm, 7.3 per cent of females and only 0.2 of third gender persons .

There is a need of bringing big transformation in the mindset of the people for ensuring the rights of those who come from the minority and other underprivileged groups, he added.

Kiran Nepal, editor of Himal Magazine, said that the condition of the third genders had been changed remarkably during the past years.

A documentary entitled "Struggle Within" was also shown at the programme that depicted the woes faced by the third genders in the nation.